I'm totally new to portable mp3 players. I don't want an ipod. I think the Sansa Clip+ is ideal for me. Can you tell me the life of the battery under normal use and can it be replaced easily? Also in shuffle will it play seamlessly between the internal drive and the 16gb card. I've tried the SanDisk website but I don't get an answer.

I have one thatís around 3 or more years old and it still holds up for around 7 or 8 hours, I defiantly feel Iíve gotten my monies worth. For the novice itís hard to replace the battery but it can be done. You have to source one, be able to solder and feel comfortable opening up the plastic shell. If you search there is a thread on it in the Sansa Clip forum.

If by life of the battery you mean how long should it remain serviceable vs how many runtime hours it gets the answer is "It depends". If you follow the battery maintenance guidelines it's not unreasonable to expect a solid 2 years out of a battery. I have got that from every player I treated decently and have lost a lot of battery life with one I lost track of and let it stay fully discharged for months. I only get 6 hours max out of that one now. One I bought at the same time but was stored properly still gives me over 10 hours on a charge. Following the guidelines definitely extends the battery life in my experience.

The battery in a Clip+ isn't considered user replaceable. While it has been done it takes a fair amount of skill to do it and finding the right aftermarket battery. Sansa doesn't supply replacements.

What's more practical is to think in terms of a rechargeable pack battery pack if the battery won't hold a charge. Sandisk has said that the battery can be dead and that the player will operate normally if powered externally through an external USB source.